Grandparent's Day

The older I become the more I understand that family is everything. In our home, my husband and I do are best to instill in our kiddos the importance of family. Both kiddos have close relationships with their grandparents, and moving away was hard...for the kiddos and their grandparents. Thankfully, Arizona isn't too far away and Dadi and Dada are able to visit whenever they wish. This Grandparents Day, instead of the usual day spent with Dadi and Dada, we facetimed over the internet...modern technology for the win. Although it wasn't the same, the kiddos enjoyed chatting with their grandparents, sharing about their day and asking for new toys (working on that).

This week at the library we gathered four of our favorite books about Grandparents. Our local library has quite the collection and I've loaded up my amazon wish list for future purchases. I'd love to expand my book collection on this topic and would love recommendations.

Four Favorite Books About Grandparents:

1. How to Babysit A Grandpa by Jean Reagan

Babysitting a grandpa is fun - if you know how. This adorable picture book is written from the perspective of a small child. Written in a "how-to" style, the narrator - the grandchild - shares tips for how to babysit a grandpa. Some of my favorite tips are: Snacks for a Grandpa,  How to Wake up Your Grandpa and What to Draw For a Grandpa.   

A couple of years ago, we gave this book to Dada for his birthday. My oldest son loved reading this book with his Dada. He is older now, but when he saw this book tucked away in my library bag he suddenly asked me if I could call his Dada for a quick chat. The relationship between a grandfather and grandson is special. Having a son, I love finding adorable picture books that show the love between a grandfather and grandson.

2. Because Your Grandparents Love You by Andrew Clements

This picture book is all about the unconditional love between a grandparent and grandchild. I love that this book is set in the country. It reminds me of home. The little boy and little girl in this story make little mistakes here and there..."when you run into the pasture and step right into a big cowpie and you yell GRANDMA!" The grandparents are patient and kind, and absolutely adore their grandchildren. Highly recommend this book!   

3. What Can Your Grandma Do? by Anne Sawan & Sernur Isik

What a fun story! At school, Ms. Appleyard announces to the class that they would be having a special Grandparents day talent show.  Jeremy loves his Grandma, however he isn't sure that she has any special talents to share. Stella's Grandma is a doctor, Celeste's Grandpa is a baker and Theo's Grandpa is an artist. What is Jeremy going to do? What is his Grandma going to do?

The message of this book is that everyone has a talent, no matter how young or old. We can all do something really well. For Jeremy's Grandma it is basketball. And although, Jeremy didn't think that basketball was Grandma's special talent...he soon realizes that in fact his Grandma is a talented player and that talents come in all shapes and sizes. 


4. Llama, Llama Gram and Grandpa by Anna Dewdney

My daughter loves the Llama, Llama book series. We picked this book up several months ago, and since then we have checked it out more then a half of dozen times. It is Llama's first time sleeping over with Gram and Grandpa's and he is a little nervous. Gram and Grandpa help Llama feel at home, however Llama forgets his fuzzy llama and becomes upsets. Instead of brushing off Llama's feelings, Grandpa shares with Llama that "he also had a special toy...Big or little, young or old a llama needs someone to hold."

Happy Grandparent's Day!